History of South Dakota, Vol. II, Part 78

Author: Robinson, Doane, 1856-1946. cn
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: [Logansport? IN] : B. F. Bowen
Number of Pages: 1138

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"During his early years in Dakota he endured all kinds of hardships. He was thoroughly con- versant with Indian life and customs and was present at the signing of the treaty opening the

A le Mansmeter

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Sioux reservation, at the Cheyenne river agency, in 1889. It was through his influence that Chas- ing Crow, a full-blooded Sioux Indian, from Bad river, signed the bill when the hostile Indians threatened to kill the first man who put his name to the treaty. He acted as interpreter at that time, as he was well acquainted with the lan- guage of the Sioux. He was a very successful manager of his affairs and was at one time one of the wealthiest men in Clay county. He was one of the founders of Vermillion and was an active participant in many of the transactions which are recorded as a part of our state history. Arthur C. Van Metre was one of the noble char- acters who, leaving the advantages and benefits of civilization behind, plunged into the unknown regions of the new west. To all who knew him there is a feeling of sadness for the loss of a dear friend."

It may be said farther in connection with the subject's life here in the pioneer era that he was with General Harney in his various movements in the west until 1857. and during much of the time he was the driver of the General's private ambu- lance. He was appointed to carry the govern- ment express for the government from Sioux City, Iowa, to Fort Randall. Dakota, and in the connection met with many hazardous experiences and hardships, often holding out in the accom- plishment of his purpose when old and more experienced men quailed from the ordeal. On one occasion he was compelled to kill his horse and lie by its side in order to keep from freezing, while he often found it necessary to hide in the brush to avoid the hostile Indians. His wife was a daughter of Henry Aungie, who was of threc- fourths Indian blood, his ancestry being French on the paternal side. He was an interpreter for the American Fur Company, and his wife was a half-breed Indian, her ancestry being Scotch on the paternal side. Mr. and Mrs. Van Metre became the parents of five children, namely : Viola, who is the wife of Lewis D. Bentley, of Evarts. this state; Jane E., who is the wife of Charles W. Waldron, of Fort Pierre; Alvira K., who is the wife of William P. Oakes, of Fort Pierre : John Todd, who was named in honor of

General Todd, and is a lawyer by profession, ritory and state. He served as one of the early being located at White Earth agency, in Minne- sota, in the government employ, while he was sent by the government to attend the golden jubilee of the late lamented Queen Victoria ; and Charles Luther, who is a successful farmer and stock grower on the Bad river, Fort Pierre being his postoffice address. Mr. Van Metre was de- voted to his wife and children, who were ever the objects of his most solicitous care and un- qualified affection, and while he was a typical frontiersman his noble characteristics were most gratefully shown in his home life. In 1858 he located in Vermillion, being the first white settler in Clay county, and he there engaged in farming and trading, while at one time he was there en- gaged in the livery business. In 1876 he went to the Black Hills, upon the discovery of gold, and was one of the owners of the first mill es- tablished in this section for the handling of the ore. He established a freighting business to Deadwood and bought and sold supplies on his own account. He lost heavily in these ventures, by reason of the unsettled condition of affairs in the hills, one of the powerful companies causing him to be unable to continue his operations in opposition. After returning to Vermillion, in 1878, he disposed of a portion of his landed in- terests in Caly county and moved to Brule county, where he engaged in trading and stock growing, soon recouping his fortunes to a considerable ex- tent. In 1882 he located in Pierre, and in the same year went to Montana with his sons and sons-in-law on a buffalo hunt, and on the ex- pedition several hundred of the animals were killed, while the subject had his sight nearly de- stroyed by the premature discharge of his rifle. In 1883 he returned to Dakota and took up his abode in Fort Pierre, establishing a ranch on the Bad river and continuing to be engaged in stock raising and trading until his death, which resulted from heart disease, his wife having passed away on the 15th of July, 1894, a true- hearted, noble woman and one who was ever his faithful and loyal companion and helpmeet. Mr. Van Metre was a Democrat of the old school and

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rendered much service to his party in the ter- sheriffs of Clay county and in 1879 was elected to the same office in Brule county, while fra- ternally he was identified with the Masonic order, being affiliated with the lodge at Vermillion. In concluding this brief memoir we quote from an appreciative estimate written by his long-time friend, John L. Jolley, at the time of the death of the subject : "Good bye, Van! The memories of the many happy hours your old friends have passed in your genial company will live while life lasts. All is good that we can remember about you. The world at large may not sing your praises, but in the heart of hearts of all the old settlers of both Dakotas you have a place, and each old friend, in the quiet of his home, will shed many burning tears when he learns that our old happy, merry, brave, honest, gallant, kind, generous, chivalrous and unselfish 'Van' is no more."

WILLIAM J. LILLY, formerly assistant master mechanic for the Homestake Mining Company, at Lead, and now engaged with an English mining company at El Oro, Mexico, is a native of England, and may almost be said to have been born to his business. His life began on December 26, 1859, and he is the son of Richard and Ann (Clark) Lilly, also English by nativity. His mother died when he was yet a child, and when he was ten years old his father emigrated to the United States, leaving him in the care of relatives in his native land. There he received the greater part of his education, re- maining until 1874. when he joined his father in the Lake Superior imining regions, where the parent was master mechanic for a large mining company. He went to work in the mechanical de- partment of the mines under the direction of his father. with whom he remained three years. In 1878 he came to the Black Hills, arriving in May. Here he prospected and worked at placer mining on his own account three years, then for a number of years was employed by various min- ing companies putting up machinery and running shops. In 1888 he took a course of training at

Bryant & Stratton's Business College, Chicago, and at its conclusion returned to the Hills and again went to work in the mining industry. Since then he has taken a course in mechanics with the Scranton Correspondence Schools. In 1890 he made a prospecting trip through Oregon and Washington, and in 1891, being back in the Hills, engaged in mechanical work for different com- panies for nearly a year. In June, 1892, he again entered service in the Homestake Company, working in the machine shops and put- ting up machinery. In December, 1901, he was promoted assistant master mechanic, a position which he filled most acceptably in every respect, until recently, when he resigned his position with the Homestake Company, and accepted a position as master mechanic for the El Oro Min- ing and Railway Company, a large Eng- lish firm, operating extensively in the re- public of Mexico. He is well educated, an excellent penman, a skillful draughtsman, and in other respects is well qualified for his work, having acquired facility in it by technical study and active practice. Throughout the commun- ities where he has resided he is well esteemed for his business capacity, his active and helpful inter- est in public affairs and his genial and companion- able social qualities.

On August 30, 1892, at Spearfish, this state, Mr. Lilly was married to Miss Bina Faartoft, a native of Denmark. They have two children. Arthur R. and Edna M. Mr. Lilly is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America. belonging to the camp of the order at Lead.

FRED DE KRAFFT GRIFFIN, the able editor and publisher of the Walworth County Record, at Selby, has the distinction of being a native of the national capital, having been born in the city of Washington, D. C., on the 16th of January, 1862, and being a son of Robert C. and S. Adelaide Griffin, both of whom were likewise born and reared in that city. The lineage on the paternal side is traced back to Lawrence Griffin. who settled near Leonardtown, Maryland, in 1742, having emigrated from England, his native land.

HISTORY OF SOUTH DAKOTA.

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Baron J. C. P. de Krafft, the maternal great- grandfather of the subject, assisted L'Enfant in laying out the city of Washington, and his son, Lieutenant de Krafft, was with Decatur at Tripoli, as a member of the United States navy. The Baron's grandson, Rear Admiral de Krafft, of the United States navy, died within recent years, having well upheld the prestige of the honored name which he bore.

The subject was reared in his native city, in whose public schools he received his early edu- cational discipline, having been graduated in the high school as a member of the class of 1878. He initiated his association with the "art pre- servative of all arts" on the Ist of January, 1881, when he secured a position in the office of the Evening Critic, of Washington, while from 1884 to 1887 he was employed in the treasury branch of the government printing office. In July of the latter year he came to the present state of South Dakota and located in Bangor, Walworth county, and on the 18th of the following September he became the editor and publisher of the Central Dakotan, the name of which was changed to the Walworth County Record in 1890, since which time he has continued the publication under that title, while the office and general headquarters of the paper were removed from Bangor to Selby in 1900. In his political proclivities Mr. Griffin is a stalwart supporter of the Republican party, and personally and through the columns of his paper he has done much to further its success in the state, being one of the party leaders in his section and having served for several terms as chairman of the Walworth county central committee, while for six terms he was a member of the Republican state central committee. Fraternally he is identi- fied with the Masonic order, the Modern Wood- men of America and the Knights of the Macca- bees, and both he and his wife are communicants of the Protestant Episcopal church.

On the 10th of February, 1882, was solem- nized the marriage of Mr. Griffin to Miss Emma B. McNelly, who likewise was born and reared in Washington, D. C., being a daughter of Ar- thur and Mary McNelly. Mr. and Mrs. Griffin have seven children, the first two having been

born in the capital city and the others in Wal- worth county, South Dakota, their names, in order of birth, being as follows : Charles, Evelyn, Fred, Arthur, Elton, Clifford and Edwin.

HON. SYLVESTER JONES CONKLIN was born in Penn Yan, Yates county, New York, May 5, 1829, and is of Holland-Dutch descent on his father's side and Welch and French on the side of his mother. His father died when he was but four years of age, leaving the widow without other means than her own labor to support three children, of which the subject was the eldest. At the age of twelve years he was apprenticed to a shoemaker and tanner : at the age of sixteen years he had mastered both trades and worked as a journeyman until he was eighteen years of age, when he went into the business of tanning and shoemaking for himself. In 1856 he left the shoe- bench and took the stump for John C. Fremont, then the first Republican candidate for the presi- dency. The defeat of Fremont nearly broke his heart and in January, 1857, he disposed of his business and settled in Waterloo, Wisconsin. There he studied law and was admitted to practice in the circuit and supreme courts of that state, and also in the district, circuit and supreme courts of the United States. In 1859 he was elected to the Wisconsin state legislature and served one term. He enlisted for service during the Civil war and served in the several capacities of regimental quartermaster, post quartermaster, post commissary, and judge advocate of a general court martial. He was mustered out at Leaven- worth in December, 1865, and at once resumed the practice of his profession, being again elected to the Wisconsin legislature in 1869. He accepted an appointment in the United States revenue service, in which he served over four years, and then engaged in journalism in Waterloo, Wis- consin, until the spring of 1879. In April of that year he removed to Watertown, South Dakota, and established the Dakota News. Five years later he sold that paper to Hon. A. C. Mellette, and established Conklin's Dakotan, also at Watertown, for which he obtained a large circu-

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lation in both South and North Dakota. He con- tinued its publication until 1866, when he was so severely injured in a railroad accident in Sioux Falls that for a year and a half he was unable to attend to his paper and was compelled to sus- pend its publication. His recovery was slow, but eventually he regained in a measure his former health and usefulness. At the first organization of the South Dakota Press Association he was chosen its president and was twice thereafter re- elected to the same position, and, although the demand was almost unanimous, he declined further election.

During his long residence in South Dakota, Mr. Conklin has persistently refused to hold office, but he has ever taken a deep pride in the military affairs of his state, and, seeing that they were at a low ebb and that the state militia had practically ceased to exist, he accepted the ap- pointment he now holds, being commissioned ad- jutant general of the state by Governor Herreid on the 9th of March, 1901. He was induced to undertake these duties because he firmly believed that he could organize a militia that would com- pare favorably with other states possessing like opportunities and means. Since that time he has recruited a state guard composed of twenty- nine companies, and has held two battalion en- campments, one at Yankton and the other at Aberdeen, and three annual encampments of all arms. During this time he has, as required by law, discharged the duties of adjutant general. quartermaster general and chief of ordnance and commissary. Governor Herreid, in his biennial message to the legislature of 1903, speaking of the reorganization of the militia, said: "For this work I selected a man whom I knew, from a long personal acquaintance, to be pre-eminently qualified by education, experience and individual force of character for the manifold duties devolv- ing upon the adjutant general. On March 9, 1901, thoroughly aware of the difficulties to be encount- ered, Hon. S. J. Conklin accepted the appoint- ment, and from that day until this hour he has, with singular energy and enthusiasm, devoted all his time to the service of the state. How well he has succeeded. even beyond the most sanguine

expectations of his friends who prevailed upon him to undertake the work and who expected suc- cess, will be manifested by a careful perusal of the report of his department."

Now, at the age of seventy-five years, General Conklin is possessed in a remarkable degree of the energy and executive ability which has char- acterized his entire history. He is manifestly a self-educated and self-made man, for while the record of his life shows that he had little op- portunity for schooling, his ability as a writer and speaker tell the story of toiling hours in manhood's years while others slept, to acquire the store of knowledge with which he has been armored for every occasion and every duty he has undertaken to perform.

General Conklin was married in 1848, to Miss Mary Wait, and three children were born to this union, namely : Alice, Emmet F. and Charles A. Mr. Conklin was again married, in 1884, to Miss Mattie Greenslate, and again, in 1895, to Mrs. Anna Duff. Fraternally the General is a Mason, having attained to the thirty-second degree in the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite.

NICHOLAS J. SCHLACHTER. a popular and progressive business man of Gettysburg, Pot- ter county, is a native of the state of Wisconsin, having been born on a farm in Sheboygan county. on the 9th of October, 1865, and being a son of Thomas and Martha Schlachter, the former of whom was born in the state of New York and the latter in the old country. The father of the sub- ject took up his residence in Wisconsin in the early 'fifties, being one of the pioneers of She- boygan county, and in the Badger state he con- tinued to maintain his home until 1883, when he located in Sully county. South Dakota, where he has since been engaged in farming and stock raising. In his family were four sons and five daughters, all of whom are living except two. the subject having been the fifth child. Nicholas J. Schlachter secured his educational training in the public schools of his native county, and at the age of fourteen years entered upon an apprentice- ship at the carpenter's trade, becoming a

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thoroughly skilled artisan. He accompanied his parents on their removal to South Dakota, and during the first year was engaged in freighting from Pierre to the Black Hills, after which he worked at his trade in Deadwood, while in the fall of 1883 he assisted in the erection of the court house in Pierre. The following spring he went to Fairbank. Sully county, where he engaged in contracting and building on his own account. his success there being excellent during the period when the town was booming, and after the reaction came he was for a few months employed as clerk in the store of Allen & Heale, at Fair- bank. The following year he engaged in deal- ing in horses, and in 1887 he put in a crop of wheat on his father's ranch, the venture proving a failure, as the crop was destroyed by hail. He then took up his residence in Gettysburg. where he has ever since maintained his home. The town of Fairbank had by this time fallen into de- cadence, and he there purchased twenty-seven buildings and removed a part of them to the pros- perous village of Gettysburg, where he disposed of the same at a profit after putting them into good order on lots which he had purchased for the purpose. He thereafter was actively engaged in business as a contractor and builder for several years, and about three-fourths of the business and residence buildings in the town stand as monu- ments to his skill. In 1895 he erected the present attractive high-school building. In 1896 Mr. Schlachter established himself in the lumber busi- ness, and he has been an independent operator in this line ever since, having successfully held his ground against the encroachments of the various combines and having built up a large and pros- perous business, as is evident when we note the fact that he handles annually an average of about one hundred thousand dollars' worth of dressed and plain lumber. He is an excellent judge of valnes, has exceptional facilities and has given a service to patrons which has begotten the ut- most confidence in his integrity and his abso- lute fairness in all his dealings. He is the owner of a number of pieces of valuable real estate in the town, and is known as one of its most progres- sive and public-spirited citizens. In 1900, con-

vinced of the value of creamery facilities in the county, through the promotion of the dairy in- terests, he erected a modern creamery in Gettys- burg and another at Onida, in Sully county, these being the first in the two counties. For a time his labors were attended with but questionable suc- cess, but his courage and his confidence in ulti- mate success never wavered, and he has been able to find both amply justified. At Gettysburg he receives the cream from Sully county" as well as from Potter county, and during the summer months he turns out about twelve thousand pounds of butter a week, disposing of the product in the markets of Chicago and New York. While other ventures of the sort have proved failures he has brought to bear that energy and good management which have made for definite suc- cess, and he receives the product from about ten thousand cows, which faet indicates the value of the undertaking to the farmers of this section. In politics he is stanchly arrayed in support of the principles and policies of the Republican party, and while never ambitious for public office he has served several terms as a member of the vil- lage council. Fraternally he is identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias and the Modern Woodmen of America.

In January, 1804. Mr. Schlachter was united in marriage to Miss Matilda Van Wald, of Gettysburg. She was born in Wisconsin, in which state she was reared, being a daughter of Len and Mattie Van Wald. Of this union have been born two sons, Guy and Leo.

ABRAHAM D. GRIFFEE, register of deeds of Potter county, is a native of the state of Iowa. having been born in the city of Oskaloosa, on the 2Ist of September, 1861, and being a son of Abra- ham and Nancy (Higgenbotham) Griffee, the former of whom was born in Virginia and the latter in Ohio, while their marriage was solem- nized in the state of Ohio. The Griffee family is of German extraction and was founded in the old and patrician state of Virginia in the early colo- nial era, with whose history the name has been

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prominently identified. The father of the subject was reared and educated in Virginia, and as a young man removed thence to Ohio, where he maintained his residence for a few years, and then about 1840, made the long overland journey to Iowa with team and wagon, being accompanied by his wife and their three children, the other four of the children in the family having been born in the Hawkeye state. He became one of the pioneers of Mahaska county, where he re- claimed and improved a valuable farm, and there he continued to reside until his death, which oc- curred in 1886. He became a man of prominence and distinctive influence in the community and passed away in the fullness of years and well- earned honors. His devoted wife was sum- moned into eternal rest in 1899, and of their chil- dren all are still living, the subject of this review having been the sixth in order of birth.

Abraham D. Griffee was born in the town of Oskaloosa, Iowa, and from his sixth year was reared on the farm and in his youth was accorded the advantages of the excellent public schools of his native state, completing a course in the high school at Oskaloosa. He continued to be asso- ciated in the work and management of the home farm until 1884, when he came to South Dakota and took up land in Faulk county, whose organi- zation had been effected about a year previously. Upon this pre-emption claim he made good im- provements, the place being eligibly located near the village of Seneca, and there he continued to be engaged in farming and stock growing until 1893, while he still retains possession of the prop- erty, which has greatly appreciated in value in the intervening years. In the year mentioned he came to Gettysburg, the official center of Pot- ter county, and here engaged in the grain busi- ness, owning an interest in the elevator here, and he continued to be identified with this line of en- terprise for the ensuing five years, at the expira- tion of which he disposed of his interests in the same and turned his attention to the lumber busi- ness, at which he was engaged until 1900. In 1900 lie was elected to the office of register of deeds of Potter county. He gave an able and sys- tematic administration of the office and was

chosen as his own successor in the fall of 1902, for a second term of two years. He manifests a lively interest in public affairs and is an uncom- promising Democrat in his political adherency, having been an active worker in the party cause. Mr. Griffee is a man of ability and has been suc- cessful in his business affairs since casting in his lot with the people of South Dakota. In addition to his landed interests in Faulk county he is also the owner of valuable realty in Potter county. Fraternally he is identified with the Masonic or- der, Knights of Pythias, Ancient Order of United Workmen, Modern Woodman of America and Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

On the 2d of February, 1886, was solem- nized the marriage of Mr. Griffee to Miss Mary E. Douglas, who was born and reared in Lonacon- ing, Maryland, being a daughter of Capt. John W. and Ellen Douglas, and a sister of Herbert Douglas, who is now an official of the Crow Creek Indian reservation. Mr. and Mrs. Griffee have one daughter, Rhea, who was born on the 19th of July, 1887.

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History of South Dakota, Vol. II, Part 78

Author: Robinson, Doane, 1856-1946. cn Publication date: 1904 Publisher: [Logansport? IN] : B. F. Bowen Number of Pages: 1138

Author: Robinson, Doane, 1856-1946. cn
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: [Logansport? IN] : B. F. Bowen
Number of Pages: 1138